The Ministry of Culture has demanded clarifications from the City Council of Seville regarding the Icónica Santalucía Sevilla Fest, which takes place in Plaza de España, and requests information about the damages caused in previous editions.
The Ministry of Culture, led by Ernest Urtasun (Sumar), has sent a letter to the City Council of Seville requesting "clarifications" about the celebration of the Icónica Santalucía Sevilla Fest in Plaza de España, as well as about the municipal ordinance regulating the use of this space. The letter, signed by the Director General of Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts, María Ángeles Albert de León, reminds Mayor José Luis Sanz that Plaza de España is a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC), which implies "obligations and restrictions" to preserve its heritage values.
Material damages and wiring in the monument
In the letter, the Ministry requests detailed information about "the arrangement of the wiring and lighting fixtures" used in the festival, as it warns that "in previous editions, material damages have occurred in various areas such as the floor tiles or the ceramic benches." The festival, which started in 2021 with the approval of then-Mayor Juan Espadas (PSOE), has grown to become an international event featuring artists like Lenny Kravitz and Robbie Williams this year.
The request comes after the Ministry of Finance approved two months ago the most ambitious edition of the event, which takes place during the summer. The City Council, for its part, defends that all licenses are granted with the favorable technical reports from Finance, which is the owner of the property along with the City Council.
Municipal response: damages "of a minor nature"
The government team of José Luis Sanz responded immediately with a letter signed by the Urban Planning delegate, Juan de la Rosa. In it, he recalls that Plaza de España is of "shared ownership" and that the City Council grants licenses "with the corresponding technical compliance reports" from the Ministry of Finance, regarding temporary setups and installations.
Regarding the alleged damages, De la Rosa asserts that, in coordination with the Icónica organization, the venue's use is carried out "with the corresponding mechanisms for the control and supervision of the setup and dismantling work." Furthermore, he states that the incidents recorded in 2024 and 2025 have been "of a minor nature" and that "they have already been resolved." To support this, the City Council attaches two reports from the Urban Planning Management that corroborate it, the same ones that will be prepared at the end of the current edition.
The controversy is not new: the use of Plaza de España for large events has generated debate among residents and cultural entities, who warn of the wear and tear on the monument. While the Ministry tightens the screws, the City Council defends that the festival is an economic and cultural engine for the city. The people of Seville, for their part, are closely following a dispute that, for now, has no resolution date.
You may also like
